On June 18, 2015, Amparo, Ana Rama, and Tere Sanchez, three women who work in animal rescue in Cartagena, Spain, with El Portalico saved two four-month-old puppies who were dumped in a tar well. The mixed puppies were covered in oil, and thanks to the women’s non-stop efforts to save them, the dogs now named Chapa and Pote, are alive.
It was after 10 p.m. when Amparo’s cell phone rang. Silvestre Martínez was calling asking Amparo for help. While Martínez was out on a family walk with his son, wife, and a family friend, the animal lovers heard the frantic barks and cries of dogs. When they investigated they found three puppies trapped in a tar well.
Immediately, the good Samaritans jumped into action and pulled all three dogs from the tar, but they needed experienced animal rescuers to help clean the dogs and take care of them.
The women met the dogs at a local animal clinic and started cleaning them immediately. It took them hours to free them dogs from some of the tar, and unfortunately one of the puppies did not survive.
All three dogs had ingested large amounts of tar and their mouth were locked shot due to the oil substance, but one of the puppies was weaker than his litter mates. He had difficulty breathing and was struggling to stay alive. After consulting with the clinic’s veterinarian, it was determined there was nothing rescuers could do to save him. The damage was already done and the puppy was suffering too much, therefore, it was best to humanly put him down.
After three hours of clean up, rescuers decided to let the dogs rest and continue with their clean up effort the following morning. Chapa and Pote were so exhausted that once the bath sessions stopped, they simply fell asleep. The following morning, rescuers resumed their cleaning efforts and they were finally able to completely clean the dogs.
It is a miracle that Chapa and Pote are alive today. Rescuers want justice and want whoever dumped the dogs in the tar prosecuted for his or her actions. If the animal abuser is identified, he or she will face 18 months of incarceration for animal cruelty. Sadly, there are no leads as of yet.